Ollie
I am so extremely grateful to receive a Dogslife grant to help pay for chemotherapy for my dog, Ollie. Ollie is a seven year old white French bulldog with brown spots.
I got Ollie when he was 7 weeks old….his back legs were still developing and I sometimes worried that he might not be able to walk. I fell in love with him the second we met and so thankful that he is mine. Ollie has had a very healthy life-until now. With the exception of food allergies which means he can only eat egg based food- he loves to take walks, to play with other dogs he knows, go with me almost everywhere I go, and be my constant companion. Ollie knows when my work is crazy or when I don’t feel good, and he gives me extra licks and kisses and snuggles.
The weekend after Thanksgiving this year, Ollie wouldn’t lay down. I couldn’t figure out what was going on with him and thought he had strained his back. I took him to the Emergency Vet and they agreed and gave him some shots to ease the pain. That helped for ~24 hours but then, once again, he refused to lay down. This was a Sunday night now so I decided to take him to our regular vet on Monday morning. I couldn’t get an appointment until that afternoon and, that morning, I was petting him and discovered a huge mass, the size of my hand, under his neck. When my vet saw this, she sent us back to the Emergency Pet Clinic and, after 7 hours, they told me Ollie had lymphoma. I was heartbroken. I thought with the fast growing lymphoma that he had that Ollie did not have long to live.
Thankfully, the Emergency Vet doctor told me I should take Ollie to VCA Animal Diagnostic Clinics. I got an appointment for the same week and there I met Dr. Lopez and found out that the type of lymphoma Ollie has was a B cell lymphoma. Dr. Lopez is amazing- she told me about possible therapies, about the successes they have had, and that Ollie could have a good quality of life and go into remission. Dr. Lopez and the VCA staff were kind and caring and gave me hope. I didn’t know how I would be able to afford the cost of the chemotherapy but I was determined to give Ollie the treatment he needed. Thankfully, the VCA staff also told me about the Dogslife grant program and I applied.
As a single person, Ollie and I are dependent on my income for all of our expenses. Receiving financial assistance from Dogslife to help pay for his treatments is life changing for both of us. I will now be able to continue his chemotherapy. I am praying that Ollie goes into full remission and stays in remission for years to come. Ollie and I are very thankful to the Dogslife for their financial assistance.
Jenna Street (January 2024)